Arrgh, there be a holiday to celebrate

September 19th is the international holiday "Talk like a Pirate Day." This holiday was created by John Baur and Mark Summers, alias 'Ol' Chumbucket' and "Cap'n Slappy" in 1995. It causes people to talk like pirates, villainous theives and cutthroats who preyed upon ships and settlements around the world centuries ago. Pirates are famous in the world today for their deeds and speech. The state of South Carolina has be subject to pirates as well, including two famous ones. Blackbeard (Edward Teach) and Stede Bonnet both did crimes around the future Palmetto State. Charleston was blockaded by Blackbeard in the spring of 1718, with Bonnet among Blackbeards crew. The town gave into the demands eventually. Bonnet and Teach both got pardons fro the government in North Carolina. However, both reverted to piracy before long. Blackbeard died fighting the crew of the HMS Pearl on November 22, 1718 just off the coast of Ocracoke Island, NC. It took five shots and twent sword wounds to kill him. His head was cut off, hung on the Pearl's bowsprit and his body thrown overboard. Coincidentally, Bonnet was captured and put on trial in Charleston, SC. He pleaded for his life which convinced many of the ladies to support his request. Although his sentence was delayed many times, he wa hung on December 10, 1718. So... a vast ye swabby landlubbers! Give it your best shot, or you'll walk the plank!

Want to know more about Pirates off the coast of South Carolina? Seek and plunder through the informational treasures here at the state archives like the Records of the Register of the Secretary of the Province 1714-1719 (see excerpted image) or microfilm of records from the British Public Records office.

Constitution Day Approaches

Hey everyone, did you know that Friday, September 17th, is Constitution Day? One of our fabulous volunteers is going to be a guest blogger letting us know about cool facts like this one. He's seventeen and has aspirations of being a writer and we thought blog posts would be a great way to practice and help us out. So here is Caleb's first posting all about Constitution Day:

On September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was signed by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. On the anniversary of that day we celebrate Constitution Day. The holiday was established in 2005 as part of a new law. South Carolina sent four delegates to the convention, where 39 out of 55 delegates signed the document created to give America fair laws and a stronger federal government. These men were Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pinckney, John Rutledge, and Pierce Butler. Rhode Island did not send any delegates to the convention. The youngest signer was John Drayton at age 26, while the oldest was Benjamin Franklin at age 81. This year is the 223rd anniversary of the signing of the document. Be sure to celebrate it this week on Friday!

For more information on the US Constitution, check out the National Archives website http://www.archives.gov/

Annual Civil War Symposium is Approaching

This December marks the 150th anniversary of South Carolina secession from the Union. Happy Sesquicentennial South Carolina! And what better way to celebrate this anniversary than to register for our Annual Civil War Syposium, September 24th and 25th. You'll meet great people, see original documents, and learn about South Carolina and her role in the Civil War. The line up so far has some phenomenal speakers including featured speaker, Dr. William W. Freehling. Dr. Freehling has been teaching, researching, and writing about the Old South and the Civil War for over forty years so you don't want to miss a chance to hear and meet this award winning historian. Registration information can be found at http://civilwarsymposium.palmettohistory.org/ and we hope to see you all there!